"II - Chainer's Torment" - читать интересную книгу автора (McGough Scott)

possibility of a nebulous spiritual reward, and even that
was contingent upon obedience to their childish concept of
justice. The Cabal was far more concrete and pragmatic. It
provided food, shelter, and education for anyone willing to
work for it.
Chainer resumed his pace, quickly eliminating the
distance between himself and the Order party. If he turned
or otherwise tried to avoid them, they would surely follow.
Best to confront them now.
"Greetings, traveler," the human soldier called. "On
your way to the city?" Judging by the wrap of the Order
members' robes and the insignias on their shoulders,
Chainer made the aven as an officer and the human as a foot
soldier. Beside the officer squatted an ugly, even more
birdlike creature with a long neck, jagged beak, and
vicious sharp talons. The other, taller figure kept its
back to Chainer, but he could see that it was one of the
Nantuko, a tribe of intelligent mantislike creatures from
the Krosan forest. Chainer was uneasy. The bug-men rarely
came this close to the Cabal's city. "1. live there,"
Chainer said, "and I'm on my way home." "Have you seen the
light of justice, my friend?" Chainer was now close enough,
so they could speak without shouting. "I have. I found it
wanting. Let me pass."
"At ease, trooper," the aven officer said quietly. His
voice was surprisingly human, but his beak clacked together
at the end of each sentence. "This one is Cabal. Look at
his eyes. They have that feral, vermin look about them."
"Let me pass," Chainer repeated.
The officer stepped forward. "I'm right, aren't I? You
are Cabal. And according to the truce between your
patriarch and our commander, we have the right to inspect
any and all travelers on the road between here and the
Krosan forest."
"Bosh," Chainer snarled and gestured angrily. "The
First never agreed to that."
"Take it easy, son. Trooper Baankis?" The foot soldier
drew his sword and stood at attention. To Chainer, the
officer said, "We just need to search you to make sure you
haven't smuggled anything out of the forest preserve."
Trooper Baankis stepped forward, and Chainer looked
over his shoulder at the city. If he could get past them,
he knew he could outrun the man and the aven, at least
until he was safe inside the gates. He wasn't sure about
the ugly little bird, though. Or the Nantuko.
Chainer waited until the trooper was right in front of
him. When the trooper reached out to take Chainer's dagger,
Chainer dropped down and kicked the man's feet out from
under him with a wide sweep of his leg. He drew his dagger
and fell across the trooper's neck and shoulders, the point